CRESTLINE, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—Jim Bauer is fulfilling one of his greatest missions ever – 8,500 miles away.

The retired Crestline teacher and basketball coach has joined a team from his church, Crossroads in Mansfield, on a mission project in Uganda. There, in a remote village northwest of the capital, they are spreading God’s word and sharing His love.

In so many ways.

“I said I would go, never thinking what would come of it. People told me the old cliché, ‘It will change your life,’’ Bauer said. “But I have found a second calling there. I’m definitely invested, emotionally and with all the kids. The people are so welcoming and loving.”

Bauer’s first trip to the East African country was a two-week stint in January 2025. But since then, he’s gone back twice, flying nearly 40 hours each time to build homes for the poor, pray with prison inmates, teach basketball to kids. And change lives.

Bauer, 68, and other Crossroads volunteers are part of a global outreach ministry, “Show Mercy International,” which provides basic needs like clean water and medical care, as well as spiritual needs to people in Uganda and other countries around the world.

Its base of operations in Uganda is in a village about 14 miles northwest of Kampala. Where most Ugandan families sleep on dirt floors, have no running water, and no electricity. Where most meals consist of rice and beans, eaten without silverware.

“There are so many things that we take for granted. It’s crazy how blessed we are and we don’t realize it,” Bauer said. “I was amazed at the joy and the faith of the people there even though they had nothing. And to see God working in their lives.”

Many of the fellowship activities on the 25-acre site take place in a building named the Dream Center, he said. But Bauer has also traveled to Sentema Prison, a government correctional facility in Central Uganda, to help spread the Gospel to hundreds of inmates there.

In January, after receiving permission, he even organized a two-day basketball camp for kids. A faith-based camp complete with Bibles, playbooks, and T-shirts. More than 160 boys and girls of all ages turned out to learn the fundamentals of the sport.

“I thought my coaching days were over,” said Bauer, who served as the CHS head boys’ basketball for 11 years back in the late 1980’s and early 90’s. “I never thought I would get back into coaching, and I never thought I would be coaching in Uganda.”

Bauer, who retired in 2015, said he has taken thousands of photos since embarking on his missions’ adventures. He’s also chronicled his experiences in a journal. And now, he’s counting down the days until his next mission trip on June 4.

Because this father of three has opened a new chapter in his life, and in the lives of those less fortunate.

“I’ve had the opportunity to share my stories, what good things are happening. God’s still at work whether we realize it or not. The way He has provided to them and through me, it’s unbelievable. And I just get to witness it which is fantastic.”